Tags: Active Inclusion & Employment; Country: Germany; Language: English; Year: 2014; ESN Conference (Rome) Programme s name INA! Sustaining integration in the workplace: improving performance of activation strategies Original title: Organisation / Country: Website: Contact: INA Integrationsplanung, Netzwerkbildung, Arbeitsmarktintegration Federal Employment Agency, Germany Here Jasmin Aufschneider: jasmin.aufschneider@arbeitsagentur.de Summary: The public employment service in Germany benchmark data and background information: The Public Employment Services (PES) in Germany has two different legal and organisational pillars available depending on the status of the unemployed person, the unemployment insurance and the basic security benefits. Unemployment insurance: 153 employment offices manage the unemployment insurance. In 2013, around 970,000 persons were registered as unemployed, of which a share of 13.4 percent was long-term unemployed. Basic security benefits for jobseekers: 410 jobcentres manage the basic security benefits for jobseekers. In 2013, around 4,438,000 persons were under their scope, of whom around 1,980,000 persons were registered as unemployed. Out of those unemployed people, 46.5 percent were long-term unemployed The total unemployment rate stood at 5.0 percent in 2014. Counselling employee clients after they start work As a new tool in the process of finding work and entering the labour market, constant feedback is being provided
from employment services and the feedback and findings flow into an individual integration plan. The subsequent stages of finding work were as follows: Carrying out a user profiling Articulate integration goal Choose strategy (draw up an integration plan) Implement and sustain (Traditional counselling approach goes until the stage, when the user s integration in work or training has been achieved) Secure Employment (extension of services until this stage!) The particular approach of the project INA! delivers support until after the user finds a job. This is meant to increase the sustainability of the work place integration. This is particularly important as a significant share of long-term unemployed people lose his new job in the first six months. INA! extends the timeline of the traditional counselling support until after entry into employment. Employment and employability risks are analysed together and joint solutions are worked out. To achieve this goal, employers and network partners get involved in the process, in which the parties different needs are included. Stakeholder and partner framework: Many (social) partners can contribute to stabilising employment, among which are: Job centres & employment agencies Local authorities & charitable associations Integration agencies & specialist integration services Sickness insurance funds Federal Office for Migration and Refugees Others (unspecified) Phased concept development guarantees practicable and proved concept A positive key factor in the successful implementation of the programme was the phased concept development in several stages.
Development in 2011 In the initial development stage in 2011, different stakeholders were involved in the design, planning, and provision of services. In this stage, the different stakeholders were brought around one joint table. Test phase 2011/2012: The Jobcentre in the City of Fuerth-Stadt was the first pilot site in the implementation. Pilot phase 2012/2013 In that phase, the Jobcentre Erfurt and the Jobcentre of the Wider City Area of Aachen were included in the implementation as well. An example from the pilot site Jobcentre Erfurt a middle-sized city in the middle of Germany Erfurt is the capital of the region of Thuringia with a population of approximately 205,000 persons. Erfurt is a city with a rich local and regional history. The local transport infrastructures can rely on airport access, an inter-regional express train and access to automobile highways. In 2014, the unemployment rate was at 8.4 percent. Approx. 13,500 benefit communities received basic social insurance benefits The job centre in Erfurt has around 340 employees. INA! in practice an example from the pilot phase In the pilot phase, the cooperation between case managers and users can be outlined along three phases: Starting point Joint solution finding Result. An example from a user who started a job in a logistical position Starting point User entered a job as a warehouse and transport worker. Employment risk
As an employment risk, it can be said that health restrictions are an obstacle to permanent employment. Joint solution finding Counselling interview During the counselling interview, solution possibilities are worked out with the employee, where necessary involving the employer. Possible action approaches Among the possible measures in that example are: Reduction of working hours Finding an alternative workplace in the company Determination of capability for further placement Result Employment continues. An alternative workplace in the company was found with the employer. INA! overview of trial locations in Germany Roundabout 14 trial locations are geographically spread across Germany and the test sites are in different stages of development, such as concept test, pilot phase, and extended pilot phase. Issues: As a general experience, it is challenging to work with long-term unemployed person who even when managing to enter employment, repeatedly lose their newly found job in the first 6 months of employment. Selecting the right stakeholders as partners for employment programmes is crucial for the active inclusion of long-term unemployed. Resources: Increasing the durability of employment relationships can lead to the decrease of passive services and to additional benefits from unemployment insurance. Objectives: Improving support in the job search and labour market entry of long-term unemployed people Increasing the employment sustainability of formerly long-term unemployed within a given workplace Outcomes: Pilot phases showed positive effects in the Jobcentres of Erfurt and Aachen in terms of the responsiveness of the programme, which took less
time to implement interventions. Improved workplace integration of unemployed Evaluation: The findings from the pilot in Erfurt conclude that various angles for action exist in the work with users, which, depending on the personal circumstances, can increase the sustainability of the provided services. Possible angles for action addressing the different life dimension of users are: Reconciliation of work and family Training Hiring out of employers Familiarisation Mobility Fixed-term employment relationships Depending on the individual life context of the user, one or several life dimensions need to be addressed at the same time.